2. What is the most important characteristic of a good leader?Discipline. It helps if everyone has it, but if a leader doesn’t, he or she won’t be one for very long.
3. What are the most important steps for someone who intends to be successful? Do your homework. In other words, learn everything you can about what you want, know what you are up against, and research every aspect of your endeavor. Talk to all the experts you can find. It can’t be a hit or miss approach. The odds are already against you, so don’t make it harder on yourself by being negligent.
4. What will distinguish the leaders of tomorrow in the real estate industry?Those who have both vision and discipline will succeed. One is useless without the other. With both, you have a chance of becoming a leader, provided you’ve learned and sharpened your instincts through your experiences.
5. Who are some of the people in history you admire, and why?Abraham Lincoln is one, because he was president at the most difficult time in our country’s history. He was also self-educated and endured many years of adversity prior to becoming president. Another would be Winston Churchill, a leader at a pivotal time in world history—World War II. He was a great orator who inspired thousands of people with his speeches, and he won the Nobel Prize in literature for his historical writing.
6. What is your favorite dessert?Ice cream.
7. What do you like about your job?Everything. Every day is a challenge, and every day is great.
8. Do you go out for lunch?Very rarely. I don’t like breaking up my work day. It interferes with my momentum. I prefer to have something to eat at my desk, which takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes.
9. What advice do you have for someone who wants to start his own business?Be ready for problems—you’ll have them every day. Keep your focus no matter what and be as big as your daily challenges. Never give up!
10. What if things don’t work out the way we want, even if we work really hard?First of all, know that you’ve got a lot of company. I’ve waited 30 years to see some things happen. Some people have waited longer. Always consider that it’s possible you might be doing the wrong thing, so that no matter how hard you work, it’s just not going to happen. Make sure you’re doing what is right for you. You have to love doing it. Then be tenacious.
11. Do you believe in luck?Yes. I know I’m lucky. I was also fortunate to have a great role model. I worked around my father from an early age and learned a lot from him.
12. What did you want to be when you were a kid?I wanted to be either a baseball player or a builder. I liked to build skyscrapers with my building blocks. I was a good enough baseball player to be offered scholarships and had also considered going to USC to study film, but my knowledge of and love for real estate led me to Wharton.
13. Where do you get your ideas?The world inspires me, and keeping up with world events can give you a lot of ideas. In this age of technology, we have access to more and more information at a faster pace than ever before, and I find that exciting. I keep an open mind and that’s a good way for ideas to start happening.
14. Do you ever fear that you might fail at something?I have a pretty good track record of successes by now, but failure is always a possibility. I am cautious but not fearful. There’s a difference. It’s important to be circumspect—know that the possibility of success is there as well as failure. Risk plays a part in everything we do. I could get hit by a bus while I am crossing the street. Things happen. Don’t let fear interfere with your plans.
15. What do you do on your vacations?I don’t take vacations in the sense of planning a trip somewhere and then going there to rest. I find my work energizing and never feel a need to get away from it. Since I own golf courses and love to golf, I can have a great time golfing while inspecting the course. In the winter I go down to my Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on the weekends, so I can golf year round. I take weekends more than vacations, which works for me.
16. We like your show, The Apprentice. We were wondering if you like firing people.I don’t like firing anyone. Sometimes it’s necessary, but I’d rather keep people around me for a long time. I have employees who have been with me for over 30 years. The best working environment is when everyone has the same work ethic and focus and does their best. That’s the case with most of my employees, but not always, and if not then a change has to be made.
17. When you first started out in real estate, what was your main goal?I wanted to be successful on my own terms. My father had been successful in real estate, and I wanted to succeed on my own. I’d always loved beautiful buildings and Manhattan, so my focus was there. I wanted to follow my own vision, and I did.
18. What was the most surprising thing about The Apprentice to you?My image changed. I became very popular after I started firing people every week!
19. What makes you happiest?That’s a complex question for being so simple. I’d say several things make me happy: Doing well. Doing my best. Doing a great job and knowing it’s great. Being able to share that accomplishment is good, too—I can increase the value of neighborhoods and communities, provide jobs, and I’m in a position to give back in charitable ways. My family is very important to me and always has been. I’m happiest when I’m with them.
20. What was your favorite subject in school?I liked anything to do with mathematics. I excelled in geometry.
21. What is your favorite movie?Citizen Kane.
22. What time do you get up in the morning?Five a.m.
23. What’s the best thing about being rich?Being able to give back is a great feeling.
24. What’s the best piece of advice you can give me?Never give up. You can accomplish more things with that attitude than anything else I can tell you.
9
WHEN THE OTHER SIDE EXPECTS A DUEL, OFFER A PARTNERSHIP
Trump International Golf Links, Scotland
I have always been interested in building a golf course in Scotland for two very good reasons aside from the spectacular beauty of that country: My mother was born there, and Scotland is the birthplace of golf. Golf has been an important part of my life, and needless to say, so was my mother.
I spent five years reviewing sites and I turned down over 200 possibilities for development throughout Europe. I was waiting patiently for the right place, and when I saw the links land at Menie Estate, which is in northeast Scotland’s Grampian Region, I knew it was the right place. Menie Estate and Menie House, which dates from the fourteenth century, is 12 miles north of Aberdeen, which is Scotland’s third largest city. More important, I had never seen such a dramatic unspoiled seaside landscape. It contained sand dunes of immense proportions, three miles of spectacular oceanfront, and 1400 acres in all. It was stunning, and I got excited.
Trump Scotland Golfing
THE LOW POINT: IT’S NOT EASY WHEN PEOPLE LAUGH IN YOUR FACE
I knew that Scotland had a reputation for being a great place when it came to development and business, so I was enthusiastic to begin work there. However, the announcement of my proposed development caused some consternation and the environmentalists were immediately on guard. In fact, I remember people openly laughing when they saw the scope of what I had planned. This site is of environmental and historical significance to Scotland, and no one thought I would get approvals to go ahead. The environmental statement on Menie Estate alone takes up two five-inch-thick books.
The main problem centered around an environmental concern I had never encountered before called geomorphology. It was brought to our attention by our environmental experts and by the Scottish National Heritage Organization. Since addressing this subject was a Planning Board requirement and a major hurdle, we took it very seriously and tried to learn everything we could. We hired the leading authority on geomorphology, and every detail was seriously considered. I think we surprised everyone by our concern and professional conscience, and our perseverance and integrity was noted by the decision makers involved.
Back to geomorphology, which is the study of movement landforms, including t
heir origin and evolution and the processes that have shaped them over the years. The remarkable sand dunes found on the Menie Estate are a restricted area comprising a total of 25 acres of land. They move by natural forces—which can spell disaster for a golf course. We looked at maps from many years ago and saw how the entire 25 acres of dunes had literally moved to a different location by nature’s force, and so we knew the environmental concerns and ours were valid.
We did extensive research on this problem and discovered the dunes could be stabilized by planting beds of marram grass, whose root system allows it to thrive in windswept and harsh climates. This grass protects the sand dunes and also adds another dimension of natural beauty to the landscape.
In addition, based on our environmental research, we made many other recommendations to improve and protect the local wildlife: The creation of three artificial holts for otters and a written otter protection plan; preparation of a badger protection plan, based on new surveys; new habitat creation for Red List breeding birds; erection of nest boxes and bat boxes at Menie House; biodiversity target actions to maintain and enhance the Palmate Newt, Black-Headed Gulls and wading birds, Brown Hare, and Wych Elm; and creation of new slacks, plant and habitat translocation, and seed collection to maintain young dune slack habitat. And that’s just a partial list. Remember when I mentioned the two five-inch-thick books? I wasn’t exaggerating. So if you think things just happen because my name is Donald Trump, let this be a reminder that it doesn’t work that way.
When we finally submitted the final outline of the planning application to the Aberdeenshire Council, it addressed both the environmental and business issues of the development. On the economic side, the construction project would create approximately 6,230 jobs in Aberdeenshire and 740 jobs in the rest of Scotland. The ongoing operation would support a total of 1,250 jobs and 1,440 long-term jobs. Overall, the project could create as much as 205 million pounds in economic value for Aberdeenshire and 262 million pounds for Scotland. Those are some of the facts and figures we submitted, and as you can see, our research had to be very detailed. It’s no surprise that support was enthusiastic from the local business community. For my part, this will be an expensive development, costing nearly $1 billion pounds, but it’s really a labor of love for me.
As I write this a year after the first big environmental issues surfaced, we are going ahead with our vision with very few impediments. How did it happen? How did we overcome the challenges people thought were insurmountable? People were expecting a duel, and instead, we offered a partnership. We worked with the Scottish National Heritage and forged a partnership based on our collective concerns. We did a huge amount of background work and environmental research that took a lot of time and effort on our part, but it was time well spent. Along the way, we broke the barriers and mistrust by being vigilant, open, and honest, and by hiring the best people to get the job done properly. We offered a superior product, and no one could challenge our credibility.
The fact that we were environmentally sensitive gave the authorities faith in our ability to do what was best for everyone. Being sympathetic to the rich history and heritage of the area and the overall impact our development might have, as it turned out, was not a sacrifice by any means. It will remain an ongoing concern for centuries to come, I would hope. The Scottish National Heritage is doing their job, and so are we.
We are still awaiting approvals for some areas of our development, and George Sorial from the Trump Organization, who I asked to manage the project, has been traveling to Scotland every two or three weeks to oversee progress. I’ll be going over in about two weeks, and I’ve enjoyed every trip I’ve taken to Scotland. (Coincidentally, George’s mother was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis, where my mother grew up.)
Martin Hawtree is designing the course, and we hope to have it done in two years. That’s not all—we will have a golf driving range, a golf academy, and a short game practice area. The home of golf deserves this kind of comprehensive attention, and we are designing the course to be the best links golf course on earth. It will be the perfect site to host an Open or the Ryder Cup down the line.
In addition to the golf links, which will eventually include two 18-hole links golf courses, we are building 950 condominiums, 500 houses, a 450-room hotel, 36 golf villas, and accommodations for 400 staff members. This will be a destination point for all golf lovers of the world, and the standard for golf development will reach a new plateau when we are finished. It hasn’t been an easy road, but after waiting and looking for five determined years, every bit of work has been worth it. As a result, I’m nearly an expert at geomorphology. Who could ask for anything more?
10
SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE COMPLAINING CROWD
You Can Create Your Own Luck
You may have heard the saying, “luck is when opportunity meets preparedness.” I agree. I’ve often heard people talking about how so-and-so is so lucky (as if to emphasize that they themselves are not lucky). I think what’s really happening is the complainers aren’t “working themselves into luck.” If you want to be lucky, prepare for something big.
Sure, it might be more fun to watch movies but unless you’re going into the film industry, it’s not the best use of your time. Developing your talents requires work, and work creates luck. Having this attitude toward success is a great way to set yourself on a rewarding course for your life.
There was a lot of talk for a while about venting your frustrations and anxieties and how it might be healthy to get them off your chest. To a point, yes, but to an exaggerated degree, no. I read an article recently about how complaining, without doing anything about it, is actually detrimental to physical and mental well-being. With the advent of blogging and all the other sorts of opinion-gushing venues available to everyone now, people are spending way too much time harping on negative themes. The emphasis is out of balance, and the negative focus doesn’t help the situation.
Don’t dwell so much on a problem that you’ve exhausted yourself before you can even entertain a solution. It just doesn’t make sense. It takes brainpower and energy to think positively and creatively—and to see creatively and positively. Going negative is the easy way, the lazy way. Use your brainpower to focus on positives and solutions, and your own mindset will help create your own luck.
Shakespeare put it this way, in a famous quote from Julius Caesar: “The fault is not in our stars, dear Brutus, but in ourselves.” That’s a clear message. We are responsible for ourselves. We are responsible for our own luck. What an empowering thought! If you see responsibility as a bum deal, then you are not seeing it for what it really is—a great opportunity.
Let’s say you’re facing some big challenge today. I can tell you right now you’ve got a lot of company. What will separate you from the complaining crowd will be how you choose to look at your situation. If you believe you are in control of it—and you are—you will know exactly who to look for when you need help: yourself. You could be your greatest discovery yet for success, luck, power, and happiness.
When I encountered enormous financial challenges back in the 1990s, I was mature enough to assume responsibility and know that the problem was mine. I knew it wouldn’t do any good to blame other people. That would be a waste of time, and that’s one kind of loss I don’t like. Time is something that cannot be replaced. If you find yourself slipping into the blaming others mode, get out of it quickly.
Give luck the chance it needs to play itself out in your life. No one can do it for you. As soon as you discover that luck is yours to create, you’ll be thinking and seeing things in a whole new way. So work hard, have fun, and good luck.
11
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE
Trump International Hotel & Tower, New York
We’ve all heard of beauty makeovers. Sometimes the results are amazing. I like to do the same thing with buildings. Sometimes it requires more innovation to improve things in a big way than to build somet
hing new. The challenges can be more complex which is why a lot of developers are quick to tear down existing structures and start over with a site. I have a few good examples of buildings (and businesses) that were worth salvaging, and they have turned out to be resounding successes. The first thing to keep in mind is that you have to be resolved not to give up in the face of more problems than you might normally encounter.
Trump International Hotel & Tower
Trump International Hotel & Tower is located at One Central Park West, a fantastic location with unobstructed views of the park. It has been rated the #1 hotel in Travel & Leisure and the New York Post. What a lot of people don’t know is that it was formerly the Gulf & Western/Paramount building. It was owned by General Electric, which had Jack Welch, John Myers, and Dale Frey at the helm; and it was an office building. It really stands out because it’s one of the few tall towers on the West Side. It went up in the early 1960s, just before zoning laws were passed that would prohibit such a tall building at that location.
This building managed to attract a lot of attention, not just because of its height, but because of some construction problems that had the tenants on edge. For one thing, it swayed in the wind and would flex at the top with winds of only 15 miles per hour. All buildings have some flexibility but this was an exceptional situation. Elevators would stop, and some tenants even said they felt seasick. Once, when there was a high wind, the upper windows fell out. These episodes were legendary.
Trump Never Give Up Page 4
